How to Start the School Year Off Right This Year

Summer is over, the days are shorter and the weather is cooler—this is the start of the new school year. Instead of groaning, why not take this as an opportunity for a new start and the chance to make it the best academic year yet!

Go to bed early and get enough sleep--a good sleep makes you more awake during the school day, which means you’re more focused and are much more fun to hang with during the day. You should ideally get between 7 and 8 hours a night, and also, to make sure that you are getting quality sleep, make sure to shut off computer and cell phones at least 1 1/2 hours before going to sleep.

Watch your eating habits—make sure that you are getting enough whole grains, fruits and vegetables so that you don’t find yourself getting sick or feeling sluggish during the day because you are hungry or lacking vitamins. Also, don't forget to eat something for breakfast, even if it means grabbing a granola bar or banana on the run.

Do homework right away—don’t put off doing homework or projects until later in the night or after your favorite TV program. Do what you need to do right away so that you don’t run the risk of not having enough time to finish later or leaving it too late to go to sleep at a reasonable time.

Be prepared--Have everything you need for the school day set up and ready to go the night before, so you won't find yourself running around getting even more stressed in the morning.

Be on time for classes--by showing up on time or even a little early, you immediately give the impression that you are reliable. Punctuality and making deadlines are crucial to your success as a student. If you are known for being on time, a punctuality slip in the future is more likely to be forgiven.

Keep your focus--the reason that you are at school is for school. Worry about socializing before or after school or on weekends; don’t ignore teachers or talk with friends during class instead of paying attention. The only one who will suffer is you—and your grades! 

Engaging with your teacher in class--ask questions, make comments and volunteer for demonstrations. You want to be in their mind as someone who is listening to their lecture. Even if you just ask for clarification from time to time, it shows a willingness to learn and improve. Stepping out in class is gutsy too; you’ll establish yourself to your teacher, as well as your peers, as a confident person.

Avoiding the Senior Slump: Staying Motivated in Your Final Year

After all the hard work of Junior Year, and with all the distractions of enjoying the final year of high school, Senior Year students often find themselves sliding a bit, resulting in the Senior Year slump – with dropping grades and a lack of enthusiasm for life after high school. Here are three tips for rising Seniors to keep on track and stay motivated.

Take the Long View

It can be hard to see beyond the life at high school and imagine what your college life will be like, let alone life after formal education. Take a few minutes to visualize what you’d like your long term life to be, how you would like to live, what career you’d like to succeed in, and what goals you’d like to accomplish, whether they be as simple as trying skydiving or as complex as owning your own business. Being able to see what your longer term goals are can help you place in context all the work you’re doing right now, and enjoy each step you complete.

Keep Your Balance

High school Seniors often find it difficult to find a good work/life balance, swinging to one or the other extreme by studying too hard or socializing too much. Finding a balance with study time and achieving academic goals and also spending time with friends and activities you like is important to keep your motivation high and avoid burnout. Further, learning how to maintain this balance in high school puts you one step ahead in college, when the pressure for studying and the increase in distractions can make it even more difficult.

Celebrate Small Successes

With the looming goal ahead of you of getting into your ideal college, it can be easy to forget celebrating small successes as you strive for the future big success. However, constantly deferring celebration can be demotivating and you may feel as though you’re not really making progress in your Senior year. Take time to reward yourself for getting great grades on tests, winning events in your extracurricular activities, or even simply hitting timelines as you complete your college application process, to stay motivated.

5 Tips to Prepare for Exams

One of the least favorite things about high school life is final exams. Even though exams constitute an end to classes, it can be a very stressful and difficult time in a student's life. The finals can be the difference in passing or facing a class again.

Few new students know how to study for a final because they become overwhelmed with the volume of material that has been covered. There is also a fear that retention of that material may not be good enough to warrant a passing mark.

Here are some of the best suggestions for ways to improve study habits and get higher grades on finals.

Create an Outline

A student should write down the chronological studies of the class with brief explanations of each subject covered. While doing this, it is possible to form an opinion of what parts were the hardest and in which areas the student is not well versed. This outline should give them a good idea of how much time to spend on each phase based on the amount of time available to study.

Get an Early Start

Students learn the hard way that cramming all night before a test is not conducive to great test scores. While beginning to study too early can be non-productive, a student should never wait until the day before the test. Beginning a full week before test day should provide ample time to make a positive difference. Depending on the start of study and the outline, a student should organize how much material and what material to study each day.

Ask for Help

The first thing a freshman should learn is to seek the best assistance available to them. Few people have ever done well in the higher education system without tutoring in some studies. This is not just true preceding an exam, and should be a common practice when course material doesn't make sense.

Get Plenty of Rest

High school life can be quite taxing if good habits aren't established. It is easy to get sidetracked by other students who do not have a commitment to achieving good scores. No matter what those students decide to do, if you want to do well in your studies you must understand that fun times have their time and place. Proper rest and a good night's sleep leading up to any exam makes for a considerable advantage.

Relax Before the Exam

The last part of preparation is to settle down and be comfortable. A student should plan to have most of the study finished early on the night before the test so there is no pressure to get to the end and impose on rest time.